The 2005 Texas Longhorns will always be remembered because of quarterback Vince Young and also because of them coming back in the national championship game against Reggie Bush and the USC Trojans. During the 2005 season, Texas had a 13-0 record and was no doubt one of the best college football teams over the last 25 years.
The Longhorns have not won it all since then. Texas did get to a national championship game since that moment but lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Longhorns over the last two seasons were in the college football playoffs semifinals, but did not get to the national title game. It goes to show how hard it is to win in this sport. Where does the 2005 Texas team rank amongst the great college football teams over the last 25 years?
The Athletic Ranks the 2005 Texas Longhorns As the Third Best Team Over the Last 25 Years
Stewart Mandel of The Athletic ranked his top 25 teams over the last 25 years in the college football landscape. The ’05 Longhorns were the third ranked team in the Top 25 over the last 25 seasons. Only the 2019 LSU Tigers and the 2001 Miami Hurricanes were ranked ahead of Texas. Mandel said about the Longhorns being third on this list,
“AP All-Americans: QB Vince Young, LT Jonathan Scott, RT Justin Blalock, G Will Allen, DT Rodrique White, LB Aaron Harris, S Michael Huff
Signature wins: No. 2 USC (41-38 in BCS championship), at No. 4 Ohio State (25-22), No. 20 Texas Tech (52-17), No. 22 Oklahoma (45-12)
Despite averaging 50.2 points per game, Texas was overshadowed by the more glamorous Leinart-Bush USC team — until the Longhorns upset the Trojans in Pasadena. Heisman runner-up Young, who in September threw a game-winning touchdown at Ohio State, threw for 267 yards, ran for 200 and cruised to a last-minute touchdown run on fourth-and-5 to end the Trojans’ 34-game winning streak.
Texas won 13 games by an average of 33.8 points, including a 70-3 win against Colorado for the Big 12 title — the most lopsided conference championship game ever.”
Young was the third overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. Texas finished with a 10-3 record in 2006 after Young left for the NFL. The Longhorns have been one of the most storied college football programs. When they won the national title, they were in the BIG12 Conference.
They are now in the SEC Conference, but that is irrelevant to them being one of the best college football teams over the last 25 years in 2005. This Texas team will always be remembered for pulling off one of the greatest comebacks in national championship game history.
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